Newsletter Archive

Aug

2009

Welcome to the August edition of our Bali Dynasty Resort Newsletter

July has seen another busy month for the hotel and for Bali in general. Tourism figures for Bali are looking very positive and even breaking records in some sectors.

This month brings Indonesia's 64th Independence day celebration on the 17th August and apart from our hotel's festivities and flag raising ceremony some of the Bali Dynasty Management and Staff will be visiting the Bali Dynasty Resort Charity Project for the children's Independence day celebration. A report on our visit will be featured in next month's Newsletter.

In this edition we have news and happenings from around the resort, plus our usual features with some of your comments about the resort and introduce our Employee of the Month and Guest Nominee of the Month.

Looking ahead to September, the Bali Dynasty resort will be joining the Annual Kuta Carnival on the 25th to 27th September, more news of that in next month's Newsletter..

We hope you enjoy the read and look forward to seeing you soon at the Bali Dynasty Resort.

In This Issue

Golden Lotus Chinese Restaurant

Our Golden Lotus restaurant is MSG free and the concept has been met very favourably by our guests. MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is a well known flavour enhancer, however many people suffer adverse affects from it; whether just a little or excessive amounts. For this reason it was decided to remove all MSG from the Chinese Restaurant and make it completely MSG free. Our new Chinese Chef Joko has been wowing our regular guests with his delicious Cantonese Beef dishes which are still our Special Dish of the Month for August.Check out Chef Jokos Cantonese Specialties each day at Golden Lotus or you can try our Special Set Menus every Friday and Sunday Lunch Dim Sum Buffet every Sunday from 10am to 2.30pm.

Kids Eat Free

We realize how some Family Holidays can be expensive and that parents are looking for the best deals around. Thats why we have always prided ourselves for being a family friendly resort, continuously offering many special added value benefits for our guests.The fun doesnt end there, we make sure the Kids also have a fun time dining out too.They have their very own menus offering a range of healthier kids favourites and when they dine from our Theme Night Dinners with Mum and Dad, up to 2 Kids under 12 eat free when accompanied by two full paying Adults!!.It gets better, for the Golden Lotus Dim Sum Buffet Lunch every Sunday, Kids under 12 get a 50% discount, while Kids under 6 EAT FREE!You cant beat that for Value!

Weddings and Wedding Vow renewals

The Resort has hosted many Wedding celebrations including wedding vow renewals and wedding receptions.

There are 4 unique locations at the resort, the first being at the beach in front of the resort, or at the rear of the resort surrounded by our famous lucky white ducks, or at the Inner garden, or at the Upper Lawn.Our Wedding ceremony packages start from USD 800 nett and for your renewal of wedding vows from USD 440.00 nett.We can also assist you with a selection of menus, which you can choose from, including a BBQ dinner or an Indonesian or International buffet dinner with or without entertainment.CLICK HERE for more details.

Bali Dynasty Resort Gift Vouchers

Now theres no need to worry about what to buy someone for their Birthday, Anniversary or any other special occasion. You can now purchase Bali Dynasty Gift Vouchers for that special occasion, so when the recipient of the voucher visits the resort they can enjoy an array of gifts on you. From Lunches or Dinners to Spa Treatments, Theme and Candlelit Dinners and even Room stays and Upgrades.For Bali Dynasty Gift Certificates contact us advising us what you would like to purchase! Contact gmsec@balidynasty.com

Bali Cultural Tips

You may be a first timer to Bali, or even if you are not, here are some Cultural tips to observe while you holiday on the island.* The Balinese are very polite people and their smile is their main characteristic* Shaking hands on introduction for both men and women the formal greeting. * Always use the right hand when receiving or giving something. * Always respect older people* Never point out some thing to somebody with left hand as it is rude * Never point out something by using your foot.* Dont call some one by using your forefinger, as it is impolite. * Haggling the price of an item is normal in Bali, unless at a fixed price shop. Start at half the asking price then reach a point in the middle where both parties are happy. * Always wear proper attire when not on the beach or Pool.* Wearing a Swim suite or Sarong is unacceptable when walking the street * Nude Sun bathing is illegal in Indonesia. Please respect others. * Leave your shoes outside before entering a Balinese House or Temple.* All Temple visitors have to wear a Sarong or a Waist sash. * Anyone with a blood wound (or bleeding) is not allowed to enter a Temple.* Do not step on, or drive over, a Balinese offering left on the road or pavement. This is considered disrespectful.* Tipping Taxi Drivers, or in Hotels, Restaurants and Bars is not compulsory, most people round off the bill to the nearest Rp.5000 in Taxis, or add an additional Rp.5000 or Rp.10,000 for meals if the * Baggage Porters at the Airport expect Rp.10,000 per bag minimum.

Bali International Medical Centre

The Bali Dynasty Resort provides an in house Doctor on call 24 hours, but in some cases the Doctor will advise guests to be taken to BIMC (Bali International Medical Centre), the Resorts recommended Medical Center.Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC) was officially opened on 27th July 1998 and was established to provide an excellent primary health care service for tourists, travelers and expatriates living in Bali. Australian, English, American, New Zealand, Japanese, and Indonesian staff are ready to assist 24 hours a day. Stephanie Breen, a Midwife and Nurse originally from New Zealand, together with Medical Director Dr. Donna Moniaga, oversee a dedicated International medical team.This superb international standard medical facility is conveniently located on the roundabout opposite Duty Free Galeria Shopping Arcade, and less than 10 minutes from Bali Dynasty Resort and the International airport.

Kite Flying in Bali

Actually its the middle of July heralds the beginning of the Kite flying season. Noticeable immediately upon arrival in Bali by the number of kite bones trapped in the telephone wires.You will find many types of kites in Bali and the colors of the kites are all traditionally black, red, white, and gold/yellow which represent the incarnations of the Hindu deities. Each kite is made by a local temple and usually two months in the making and testing before the festival. The kites are blessed before the event by a temple priest. Sounds these giant hummers make remind you of a digeree do or a temple drone chant. As they are launched the band revs up to a frenzy. If a kite comes down unexpectedly, everyone cheers. It is obvious the Balinese are into sound in their culture, for not only do the kites have hummers, and the kites have bands with them, but there are these wind machines which are placed along the flying fields behind the kite teams. These large propeller devices are placed on top of long bamboo poles and make a very loud whooping sound as the wind increases. The kite flyers can see the direction of the wind and hear the intensity of it from the sounds these windmills make. Kites are available for sale at many places in Bali.Go fly a kite, the Kids will love it!

Charity Update

Recently our General Manager Robert Kelsall accompanied Mrs. Rose Mesiti to visit the children the hotel supports at Pengalusan village.It was Rose and her husband Vince from Perth who very generously donated the much needed school desks for Pengalusan school.Rose had the opportunity to see first hand how the children were doing in school and was even treated by an impromptu Karate demonstration by the children. All the children are involved in Karate classes.

Karate, not only keeps the children fit, but also teaches them discipline.Amazingly all 90 of the Pengalusan children graduated to their next belt. Some now have only one more exam to go before taking their black belt exam. To add to the Pengalusan achievement list, the recent "Buku Pertamaku" book writing competition, open to children from 7-15 years old, was won by one of the Pengalusan girls, Ni Ketut Muri. 67 children from schools throughout Bali competed and the Pengalusan children walked away with 1st & 3rd places. A great achievement for one of the most impoverished schools in Bali, where children only attend 3 days a week.Through your kind donations, the Bali Dynasty Resort has been able to donate almost Rp.2 billion since the resort began to support the project back in the year 2000.We have introduced our Make a difference scheme on our website where you can pledge to donate for specific items the children are in dire need of. CLICK HERE to see the complete list of items the children require. We have also introduced our voluntary one dollar to check out program, and continue with our Charity Quiz Nights twice a week at Gracie Kelly's and of course there are collection boxes around the resort. A big thank you from us and the Kids to all those of you who have supported them!

Bali Tree Tops Adventure Park

This month we look at Bali Tree Top Adventure Park near Bedugal.65 Treetop challenges await the adventure seeker providing a truly memorable experience and amazing panoramic views. Challenges include a series of Ariel activities such as Flying Foxes, Rope Bridges and climbing challenges.Each trail offers graded difficulty levels so as you progress from tree to tree the challenges increase and you progress at your own pace.Trails are for Adults and Children from ages 4 and up. The varying heights of the challenges on each trail range from 2 to 20 meters and you can experience the trail alone or as a group, or with friends or family. Throughout the entire trail you remain attached to a life-line support.Although the park uses natural resources for its challenges the park is quite environmentally friendly featuring protective half logs to prevent cables from cutting into trees and minimize tree trunk degradation and all trail platforms are held in place using an innovative compression system to protect trees from any damage.The park offers specially trained Patrol Guides to explain how the complete circuit works, complete safety instructions and how to use the equipment.For bookings contact our Guest Activities Center at the hotel Lobby.

Recognising our Star performers

Every month we hold a staff gathering, where we celebrate our staff birthdays and present an update on new hotel products and services. Here are our winners for July 2008. These staff have excelled in their duties and the services offered to our guests. We also have a Guest Nomination Award and this award is chosen by our guests who fill in the guest nomination forms when they are departing the Resort after their holiday.

Employee of the Month Heart of the HouseWe Congratulate Made Sudarma from our Accounting Department as our Employee of the Month Heart of the House for the month of June. Darma is known as the joker of the Accounting Department and is always playing jokes on the rest of the staff. He has been with Bali Dynasty Resort since 1991 and he lives in Denpasar with his wife and two children. On his days off he likes to take his two boys fishing.

Employee of the Month Front of the HouseMade Kertawijaya, or Jaya would be a familiar face to many of you as he works most nights at the Gracie Kellys Irish Pub as Waiter. Jaya is our Employee of the Month Front of the House for June.He has a reputation of a nothing is too much trouble type of person at the Pub and he is the Peter Pan of Gracies, as he never seems to get older. Jaya has been with Bali Dynasty Resort since 1991 and has two children.

Supervisor of the QuarterCongratulations go out to Ketut Dharmayanti, or Yanti, our Supervisor of the Quarter. Yanti works in the Accounting department. Yanti is a favourite with the staff and has a reputation for being a serious and quiet achiever. Yanti has been with the Bali Dynasty Resort since 1992 and is a Mum to two children.

Guest Nomination of the MonthAnother familiar face to you perhaps is our Guest Nominee for the month of June, namely Kadek Eka Sugita, or Eka. You can see Eka and his cheeky grin most nights at Tropical Caf as a Waiter.Having joined Bali Dynasty Resort in 2002 he is the life and soul of Tropical Caf and is always found laughing and joking with the guests and his work colleagues. Dont let his young looks fool you, Eka is married with two children.

Congratulations once again to all our winners this month!

What the Guests Say!

This was our 1st visit to Bali and to stay at the Bali Dynasty Resort really helped us feel relaxed. comfortable and safe.I dont care too much for Chinese food, but the themed buffets at Tropical Caf was great; the pizza/pasta night was awesome!Mr. & Mrs. C, Australia

Thank you for your team for the warm hearted welcome home we received at the Dynasty. It was full of surprises. We know that you look very well after the returnees and we appreciated very much as in the previous years. The renovation over the years job well done.Mr. & Mrs. S, Singapore

We continue to return to our Bali Dynasty home because it feels like home to us. Thank you again for making our stay something to remember. The Returnee Vouchers are a great ideamore please!One of the best meals that I ever had this year was the grilled fish and the BBQ pork in Sen5es.Mr. & Mrs. J, Australia

Staff at the kids clubs are excellent and are a significant factor in our impression of the resort. Happy and occupied children = relaxed parents. Keep it up.Mrs. G, Indonesia

We would like to congratulate you on an excellent hotel. Your staff and amenities were the best. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and will be back. Our three boys had an awesome time and we would like to thank you all for the kindness shown to all of them, especially our little boy James who has Down Syndrome. Your staff were all just so kind and loving towards him and we really appreciate it. Thank you, see you again soon.Mrs. C, Australia

I like how you have activities in each restaurant & bars like live band at Gracie Kellys. The Tropical Caf tables could be better lit, was a little too dark when eating.Mrs. F, Holland